My Review Policy

(Last updated 04.23.12)

Thank you so much for considering Melissa's Bookshelf for a review of your book and for checking this Policy to find out my preferences!

While I have been on a long blogging hiatus, I am slowly working my way back into the book blogosphere.  This time around, I will have to be more selective of the books I accept for review because I simply don't have the time that I used to.

Please understand that I am not able to respond to every review request.  I don't mind receiving mass emails and I do check my email regularly, but if I do not select your book for review, chances are good that you may not receive a response.  Thank you for your understanding!


TYPES OF BOOKS ACCEPTED/PREFERRED:

If you are an author or publicist and would like me to write a review of my honest impressions of your book (favorable reviews are not guaranteed), I am happy to consider books in the following genres/formats:

   ~ Fiction
   ~ Young Adult
   ~ Paranormal
   ~ Historical Fiction
   ~ Christian Fiction
   ~ Historical Romance (clean reads only, please)
   ~ Sci-Fi/Fantasy
   ~ Mystery/Suspense
   ~ Self-published books
   ~ E-books (.epub format preferred, as I have a Nook & iPad)


THE TIMING OF MY REVIEWS:

I cannot guarantee a review of every book I accept/consider, though I strive to review as many as possible.  I will give every book a fair shot -- at least 50-100 pages.  Once I have accepted your book for review, unless there is specific date of participation in a Blog Tour, I will generally review your book within 4 to 6 months upon receipt.  My TBR pile is huge, like everyone else's, so I simply can't commit to reviewing it any sooner than that.  However, if the review title is an ARC, I try my best to post my review right around the release date, if at all possible.


GIVEAWAYS, BLOG TOURS, & AUTHOR INTERVIEWS: 

I love to participate in giveaways, blog tours, and host author interviews at Melissa's Bookshelf!  For giveaways and interviews, unless they correspond with a Blog Tour, I am not likely to participate if I am not very familiar with the author or their works.


DISCLOSURE:

I do not accept or receive monetary compensation for the books I accept for review from authors and publicists.

At this time, there is no third-party advertising on Melissa's Bookshelf, but I reserve the right to become an affiliate with Amazon, Google, or another such entity and any compensation received would go back to maintenance of this blog.


STATS & TRAFFIC:

As of April 2012, this site has had over 33,000 visitors and over 54,000 page views.  There are 419 posts with over a combined 3,900 comments.  Melissa's Bookshelf also has a Google Page Rank of 3, over 600 feed subscribers, and over 1,400 Twitter followers.


THANK YOU!

I sincerely appreciate every author and publicist who has sent me review books and included me in blog tours since I began my blog. I have had the opportunity to expand my reading horizons and have discovered many wonderful new authors while doing so.


CONTACT INFORMATION:

If you would like to contact me, please send an email to mlb108[at]gmail.com.